Date of Award

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

College/School

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department/Program

English

Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair

Melinda Knight

Committee Member

Art Simon

Committee Member

Adam Rzepka

Abstract

With the release of his controversial silent film Body and Soul (1925), filmmaker Oscar Micheaux elicited strong reactions from censors, critics, and audience members alike. While some praised the work as a triumph of Black filmmaking, others were horrified by Micheaux’s corrupt preacher storyline and supposedly negative characterizations. The creation of this film occurred during a particularly fraught period of history, which saw some Harlem Renaissance figures argue that only positive depictions deserved a place in the public discourse. With Body and Soul, however, Micheaux refused to be limited by this undue burden of representation. In this thesis, I further the work of other scholars in orienting the film within the period’s cultural context. Through my analysis of historical records and the ways in which critics would have viewed Micheaux’s filmic depictions as controversial, I assert that the film acts as an artistic preservation of the very real ways of life that society sought to erase, as well as a medium for Micheaux to critique the beliefs and behaviors he took issue with. Body and Soul is particularly significant in its ability to survive amidst the loss of the majority of race films created during this era.

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